Described herein is a method for operating an operator control apparatus of a motor vehicle. Also described herein are an operator control apparatus and a motor vehicle having the operator control apparatus.
Touch-sensitive operator control units or touchpads are already known from the related art and are used for example in laptops in order to control or select functions of the laptop. The touchpad can thus determine a position of a finger by which a user touches the touchpad, thus permitting interaction with content on the screen of the laptop. For this purpose, it is for example possible for a mouse pointer on the screen to be controlled by virtue of the user using his or her finger to touch the touchpad. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0304550 A1 describes an operator control unit which is designed for providing multiple input methods, for example an input using a finger or using an input stylus, and for adapting a configuration of the operator control unit to the present input method.
Such touchpads are increasingly also used in motor vehicles, such that a user, for example the driver of the motor vehicle, can control functions of the motor vehicle, for example infotainment components, a navigation system or a telephone. In general, such touchpads have such a large touch-sensitive surface that they can also be touched by way of two or more fingers. This may also occur inadvertently if the driver, for example during travel, is concentrating on controlling the motor vehicle and, at the same time, inadvertently touches the touchpad by way of more than one finger. This can give rise to deviations between the desired input and the actual input on the touchpad.
It is also known from the related art for touchpads to be combined with a force sensor arrangement which determines a finger force of the user, that is to say a pressure which the user exerts on the touchpad by way of his or her finger. For example, German Patent Application No. 10 2008 051 051 A1 presents an operator control device having a pressure-sensitive surface, and describes that an enlargement factor for the display of a list is varied by pressing on the pressure-sensitive surface with varying intensity.
Triggering of a function by way of an actuating force or an actuating pressure is possible by way of the pressure detection. This means that the user can highlight a function for example by way of a sliding movement over the touchpad and can select the function by way of a pressing action. Thus, the behavior of a mechanical button can be simulated. Only when pressure is exerted on the touchpad is the respective function triggered. To further improve the subjective impression of quality during the actuation, a mechanical haptic impulse, for example a vibration, may be generated by way of an actuator. Furthermore, it is also possible for a tone, for example a click sound, to be generated by way of a loudspeaker during an actuation. The touchpad thereby has virtually the same feel as a mechanical button during the actuation.